Valve-stem shell.



y L. c. woELz.

VALVE'STlM SHELL.

APPLICATION FILED GCT. 22. l9l4.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

l l l l I l I I I l L l Jr. :1'11

vshell and cap which can be LEONARD C. W'OELZ, OF LOS ANGELESuCALIFOBNIA VALVE-STEM SHELL.

Application neld etooer 193,4..

To all 107mm 15. m @y concern.'

Be it ltnovvn'that l, LEONARD C. lllonnz, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los ngeles, in the county ot Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a nevv and useful Valve-Stein Shell, rof which the following is a specitication.

rEhe invention relates to pneumatic tires such as are commonly used on automobiles, bicycles and other vehicles.

T he principal object ot the invention is to provide means for protectingT and closing1 the end of the valve stem used in such tires.

ln the ordinary pneumatic tire a threaded valve stein is alloived to project through the telly ot a ivheel. being tightly secured therein b v means ot a nut. fr cap is threaded on the end ot' this valve stem for the purpose ot closing` it and excluding` dust, and a shell is also screwed on the valve stein completelvcoverine and protecting the cap. The common practice is objectionable, Erst, on account ot the fact that there is some liability ot the shells working loose, and secondly, on account of the time required and the inconvenience of removing; the shell and the cap tor the purpose ot reintlatinn or gaaing the pressure in the tire. llloreover, this practice requires a small cap in addition to the shell, and there is ,reat liability of this cap becomingr lost especially vvhere repairs are made on the road.

A further object otl the invention is to provide a combined shell and cap, thereby doing aivay with the likelihood otlosinnany parts when making repairs.

A further object is to provide a combined easily and quickly attached and detached so that it will be a ver, easv mattei' to [lage the pressure in the tire. Ilhis is very important as the life ot tires is largely dependent on the maintenance of rated pressures therein, and the principal reason that these pressures are not maintained is due to the trouble andinconvenience of unscrevving the ordinary shell and cap and replacing them after the gage has `been applied.

As the length ot valve stein proiecting" through the telly of a ivheel depends both on the length et stein and on the thickness et the telly, both of which are variable, it is necessary in the production ot a commercial shell to so construct the shell that it Speecatyen of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov,s 2, i915.

Serial No. 868,132,

can be readily adjusted to tit any, commercial conditions, and a'turther object of my invention is to provide such a construction. come of trie above objects and advantages have been disclosed in my application, Sierial No. $19,107, tiled February 16, 1914, for valve stern. cap, ont which this application is an improvement.

Further objects and advantages will be evident hereinatter Referring to the drawingl which is for illustrative purposes only: Figurel is a plan vieu' ot the invention. Fig. 2 is an elevationoi the shell-luid nut in a detached position. 3 is a section on the plane efe-r3 of Fig. l. Fig. el is an inverted perspective vien' ofthe cover and Wrench.

Fig. G is a section on the plane :LW-T06 of Fie. 3. Fig. T is a side elevation of vthe cap holder and cap removed from tiie invention,

In the drawings, the parts common to pneumatic tires at the present time are shoivn in dotted lines in Fig. 3.. These parts yare an outer easing,r l0, and an inner tube l1, which is secured to the bottom ot the valve stem l2 by means ot a vvasher 13, a Washer lll and a nut l5, suitable reinforcements being supplied as shown at 1G. A Guard plate 1T is clamped between the nut lo and a nut 1S. ln my invention l employ anut Q11 which has a circular lgroove 22 in the top thereof and a series ot segmental hooks 23 formed above this groove, a second groove Qi being formed above the hooks 23. A tube Q5 of sullicient size and length to completely cover the valve stem l2 is provided with a series ot segmental hooks 26 having a ,groove QT formed therein, and a dust flange QS formed above the groove 27. The shape ot the segmental hooks 23 and 2G is such that the hooks QG will pass through the spaces between the hooks 23 so that they mav be thro'vvn into engagement as shown in Fig. G, the hooks QG being rotated in the groove 22 and the hooks 2? beiner rotated in the groove 27, the flange Q8 maltinga tight closure with the nut 2l in the groove 24. The interior et the tube vis threaded and a cap holder 29 is also threaded so that it may be rotated freely in the tube 25. Sv'liveled in the central opening1 in the cap holder' 29 is a. cap Whicheonsists of a metal shell i 1g. 5 is a section on the plane {e5- x5 of' and a rubber member 32. The cap holder 29 has wedge-shaped grooves 33 formed in Athe top thereof, anda slotted strip 34 is vided which is threaded so that it can be y inplace in the tire, screwed down against s l/Vhen the holder 29 .38, suited to fit y lunay be formed vin Fig. 4. A v

The method of operation of the invention tightly secured in the end of the tube 25, a milled head 37 being formed thereon so that it can be readily manipulated..`A wrench the valve of a standard tire,

on the @over 36 as shown is as follows: The parts 10 to. 12 being the nut 21 is tightly the felly of the wheel and the tube 25 is attahed to the nut 21 by means of the hooks 26 and 23. The cover 36 is then removed from the tube 25 and a screw driver is inserted in the tube engaging the slot 35 by which the cap holder 29 is screwed down until the rubber member 32 of the cap 30 is pressed tightly against the end of the valve'stem 12. Since the cap 30 is swiveled in the holder 29, it is evident that asA'soon as the rubber 32 engages the end of the turn in the holder so that the rubber 32 is not worn by the valve stem when the shell is attached and detached from the nut 21.

has been suitably adjusted to cause a-moderate pressure between the rubber 32 and the end of the valve stem 12, the screw driver is removed and the cover 36 is secured in place. The adjustable hclder 29 is necessary as the valve stem 12 does not always project the same distance outside the felly 19'and it is-ncessary to make an adjustment ofthe axial position bf the cap 30 with relation to the tube 25 for each particular length of valve stem. `When this adjustment has been made it need not be changed unless the length of valve stem is varied, as will often be the case when a new inner tube is placed in an old casing. After this adjustment has been made the shell may be-removed from the valve stem bya partial turn of the wrist and easily replaced. The result is that the shell is perfectly retained by the friction caused by the pressure of the valve stem against the holder 29; but this shell can be instantly removed when it is desiredto gage the pressure on the tire or to change the pressure thereof.` This is further done by removing only a single member, the ordinary screw cap employed inside the ordinary guard being entirely dispensed with. It follows that stem l2 the cap will may be as automobileiowners will keep a closer watch on their tires, thereby greatly lengthening the life thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. A valve stem shell for pneumatic tires, comprising a nut adapted to be screwed on the valve st em of the tire, a tube detachably secured to said nut and surrounding the valve' stem, a cap inside said tube, a cap holder secured and axially adjustable in said tube, means for securing said cap in said cap holder, and means for closing the outer end of Said tube.

2. A valve stem shell for pneumatic tires, comprising a nut adapted tobe screwed on the valve stem of the tire, a tube detachably secured to said nut and surrounding the valve stem, a cap inside said tube, a cap holder secured and axially adjustable in said tube, means for securing said cap insaid cap holder in such a manner that said cap can turn freely, and means for closing the outer end of said tube. j

3. A valve stein shell for pneumatic tires, comprising a nut adapted to be screwed on the valve stem of the tire. a secured to said nut and .surrounding the valve stem, a cap inside said tube, a cap holder having a slot in the top thereof, a slotted strip for securing said cap in said holder in such amanner that said vcap is free to turn freely in said holder.

4. A valve stem shell for pneumatic tires, comprising a nut adapted to be screwed on the valve ably 4secured to said nut and surrounding the valve stem, holder having a slot in the top thereof, a slotted strip placed in said slot, means for closing the outer end of said tube, and means for securing said cap in said holder in such a manner that said cap is free to turn freely in said holder.

A valve stem shell comprising a nut adapted to'be screwed on the valve stem of a pneumatic tire, a tube surrounding. said stem and detachably secured to said nut, means for closing the outer end of said tube, a cap inside saidtube, and means adjustably secured in said tube for forcing said cap .against the end o-f the valve stem, said adjustable means being so connected to said cap that the cap is free to rotate.

6. A valve stem shell for pneumatic tires, comprising a nut adapted 'to be screwed on the valve stem of the tire, a tube detachably secured to said nut .and surrounding the valve stem, a. cap inside said tube, a cap holder secured and axially adjustable in said tube, and means for securing said cap in said cap holder.

7. A valve stem shell for pneumatic tires, comprising a nut adapted to be screwed on the Avalve stem ofthe tire, a tube detachably placed in said slot, and means a cap inside said tube, a cap tube detachably stem of the tire, a tube detach- 

